- So, the DOGE kids intend to rewrite the social-security administration's COBOL code-base! and they want to do it ... ... in *a few months* I did a huge dive into COBOL a few years ago (www.wealthsimple.com/en-ca/magazi...) ... ... so let me explain why DOGE is *way* over its skis here 1/9
- This is a great article: interesting in lots of different waysMar 30, 2025 19:07
- My father programmed in COBOL, among other languages, so there are punch cards in the attic: they were mysterious artefacts when I was a kid, along with reels of paper tape and big car-tire-hub-sized magnetic tape
- The idea that people can write code that sits there, working, ensuring that the wheels keep turning, long after the original programmers are gone is spooky, and reminds me tangentially of Jason Kottke’s ideas about human wormholes kottke.org/12/01/human-...
